The Danger of Making a Religion of Politics

The Declaration of Independence summarizes liberalism—not as a political creed opposed to conservatism, but as a philosophical account of government. This theory rests on truths held to be self-evident: that all human beings are created equal; that they have certain rights no one can take from them and which they can’t surrender; that these rights include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that legitimate government exists to secure these rights and is based on the consent of individuals who regard themselves as together forming a distinct people; that this consent is revocable when the government undermines its proper ends; and that the people reserve the right to reform or replace it with other institutions better suited to promoting these ends.